Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius(79 CE – eruption of Mount Vesuvius)

Computer-generated

imagery of the eruption

of Vesuvius

Restored view and plan of a typical Roman house of the Late Republic and Early Empire . 1.fauces

(passageway that led into the atrium) 2. atrium. 3. impluvium (basin for rainwater), 4. cubiculum

(bedroom), 5. ala (wing), 6. tablinum (home office), 7. triclinium (dining room), 8. peristyle garden.

Rooms could open

onto the street, in

which case they

were rented out as

shops.

6

Atrium of the House of

the Vettii, Pompeii, Italy,

second century BCE,

rebuilt 62–79 CE.

Peristyle Garden, House of the Vetii. Pompeii. Rebulit 62-79 CE

Roman Wall Painting

First Style

L: Roman Marble Wall. 1st c. CE. Cologne Mus. Germany

R: First Style painting. 2nd c. BCE. Brussels. Hist Mus.

First Style wall painting in the fauces of the

Samnite House, Herculaneum, Italy, late

second century BCE.

Second Style

Dionysiac Mystery Frieze, Second Style wall painting

Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy, ca. 60–50 BCE. Frieze approx. 5’ 4” high.

Dionysiac Mystery Frieze, Second Style wall painting

Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy, ca. 60–50 BCE. Frieze approx. 5’ 4” high.

Villa Landscape from Pompeii. 1st c. BCE

In linear perspective,

parallel lines converge

to a vanishing point as

they recede into the

distance. Roman artists

came close to

developing a true linear

perspective

Second Style wall paintings

(general view and detail of tholos)

from the Villa of Publius Fannius

Synistor, Boscoreale, Italy,

ca. 50–40 BCE. Approx. 8’ 9”

high.

Metropolitan Museum of Art,

New York.

Gardenscape, Second Style wall painting, from the Villa of Livia, Primaporta, Italy, ca.

30–20 BCE. Approx. 6’ 7” high. Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo alle Terme,

Rome.

Atmospheric perspective:

Incrisingly blurred appearance

of objects in the distance

19

Gardenscape, Second Style wall painting, from the Villa of Livia, Primaporta, Italy,

ca. 30–20 BCE. Fresco, 6’ 7” high. Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo alle

Terme, Rome.

Third Style

Detail of a Third Style wall painting, from the

Villa of Agrippa Postumus, Boscotrecase, Italy,

ca. 10 BCE. Approx. 7’ 8” high. Metropolitan

Museum of Art, New York.

Fourth Style

Fourth Style wall paintings

from the House of the Vettii,

Pompeii, Italy, ca. 70–79 CE.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Casa_dei_vettii_ixion.gif

Fourth Style wall paintings

from the House of the Vettii,

Pompeii, Italy, ca. 70–79 CE.

Ixion

A king of Thessaly who

committed parricide and

attempted to rape Hera.

As a punishment Zeus had

him bound to a fiery wheel,

constantly revolving, in the

Underworld.

Ixion

In Greek myth, a king who

murdered his father in law

and attempted to rape

Hera.

As a punishment Zeus had

him bound to a fiery wheel,

constantly revolving, in the

Underworld.

Neptune and Amphitrite, wall mosaic in the summer triclinium of the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, Herculaneum, Italy, ca. 62–79 CE.

Wall

Mosaics

27

Portrait of a husband and wife, wall painting

from House VII,2,6, Pompeii, Italy, ca. 70–

79 CE. Fresco, 1’ 11” X 1’ 8 1/2”. Museo

Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Private

Portraits

Still life with peaches,

detail of a Fourth Style

wall painting, from

Herculaneum, Italy, ca.

62–79 CE. Approx. 1’

2” x 1’ 1 1/2”.

Still Life:

Pictorial representation

of inanimate objects

such as flowers and

fruit.

Erotic art from Pompeii

Priapos (God of fertility),

House of the Vetti. Wall

Painting

Satyr & Nymph. House of the Faun,

Pompeii. Tile Mosaic.

Young Pans, (Pan: Fertility

god of the woods, the fields,

and flock) Bronze tripod.

Wind chime. Bronze.

“Hic Habitat Felicitas",("Happiness/Luck Resides Here“) Ornamental brick from Pompeii

High Empire ( 2nd c. CE)

Plan of Timgad

(Thamugadi), Algeria,

founded 100 CE by Trajan

Forum: Public square of an

ancient Roman city; site of

temples and administrative

buildings and used as a

market or gathering area for

the citizens.

36

Aerial view of

Timgad

(Thamugadi),

Algeria, founded

100 CE.

Apollodorus of Damascus, model of Forum of Trajan, Rome, Italy, dedicated 112 CE.

1) Temple of Trajan, 2) Column of Trajan, 3) Libraries, 4) Basilica Ulpia, 5) Forum,

6) Equestrian statue of Trajan.

1

2

3

3

4

6

5

“felicior Augusto, melior

Traiano” – luckier than

Augustus, better than Trajan”

Plan of Basilica Ulpia

apse

Apse: a projecting part of a building that is usually semicircular in plan and vaulted

Basilica: A large rectangular building.

Often built with clerestory; side isles

separated from the center nave by

colonnades, and an apse on one or

both sides.

clerestory

Column of Trajan (with statue of St. Peter)

Forum of Trajan, Rome, Italy, dedicated 112 CE. 128’ high.

Detail: Romans Crossing the Danube and Building a Fort

Stacked perspective:

Detail: Soldiers & Temple.

Stacked perspective: figures in the back are

placed higher than those in front.

Italian researchers announced they plan to restore the column’s

original bright colors by “painting” it with light beams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOm61AT0U0M

Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, Italy, ca. 130–138 CE.

Colonnade with replicas of Greek

statues. Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, Italy,

ca. 130–138 CE.

Pantheon ("Temple of all the Gods"), Rome, Italy, 118–125 CE.

Interior of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy,

118–125 CE. 142’ high. Built by

Hadrian.

Coffers:

Sunken decorative panels in the shape

of a square or octagon, usually in a

ceiling.

Longitudinal and lateral sections of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 118–125 CE.

Restored cutaway view (left) and lateral section (right)

of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 118–125 CE.

Aerial view of the

Pantheon ("Temple of

all the Gods") , Rome,

Italy, 118–125 CE.

Model of the Pantheon

Interior detail: Wall decoration with pediments over niches

Decursio (ritual circling of the imperial funerary pyre), pedestal of the Column of Antoninus Pius,

Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE. Marble, approx. 8’ 1 1/2” high. Vatican Museums, Rome.

Decursio (ritual circling of the imperial funerary pyre). Detail.

Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina, pedestal of the Column of Antoninus

Pius, Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE. Marble, approx. 8’ 1 1/2” high. Vatican Museums, Rome.

Apotheosis:elevation to divine

status. Deification

Winged genius (or

sometimes identified as

Aion, Eternity) carries the

royal couple to Heaven.

Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina. Detail.

pedestal of the Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE.

Marble, approx. 8’ 1 1/2” high. Vatican Museums, Rome.

Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and

Faustina. Detail.

pedestal of the Column of Antoninus

Pius Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE. Marble,

approx. 8’ 1 1/2” high.

Vatican Museums, Rome.

Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius

and Faustina, pedestal of the

Column of Antoninus Pius,

Rome, Italy, ca. 161 CE. Marble,

approx. 8’ 1 1/2” high. Vatican

Museums, Rome.

Decursio, pedestal of the Column

of Antoninus Pius, Rome, Italy, ca.

161 CE. Marble, approx. 8’ 1 1/2”

high. Vatican Museums, Rome.

Equestrian statue of Marcus

Aurelius, from Rome, Italy, ca. 175

CE. Bronze, approx. 11’ 6” high.

Musei Capitolini, Rome.

Equestrian: Depicted or

represented on horseback.

Portrait of Marcus Aurelius,

Detail of a relief from a lost

arch, Rome, Italy, ca. 175–180

CE. Marble.

Stoic: A member of an

originally Greek school

of philosophy, believing

that God determined

everything for the best

and that virtue is

sufficient for happiness.

Portrait of Marcus Aurelius,

Detail of a relief from a lost

arch, Rome, Italy, ca. 175–180

CE. Marble.

Constantly regard the universe

as one living being, having one

substance and one soul; and

observe how all things have

reference to one perception, the

perception of this one living

being; and how all things act

with one movement; and how

all things are the cooperating

causes of all things which exist.

(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)

Mummy PortraitsHundreds of Roman mummy

portraits were found in Egypt. They

replaced the traditional portrait

masks.

Young Woman with a Gold

Pectoral, from Fayum, 100-150

C.E. Encaustic on wood, height

12 5/8". Musée du Louvre,

Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral, from Fayum, 100-150 C.E. Encaustic on wood,

height 12 5/8". Musée du Louvre,

Mummy case and portrait of ArtemidorusFrom Hawara, Egypt. Mummy case: red-painted stucco. Portrait: Encaustic on wood. Height: 171 cm. British Museum. London.Roman Period, around AD 100-120

64

Mummy portrait of a priest of

Serapis, from Hawara

(Faiyum), Egypt, ca.140–160

ce. Encaustic on wood, 1’ 4

3/4” X 8 3/4”. British

Museum, London.

Late Empire (192-337 CE)

Painted portrait of

Septimius Severus

and his family,

from Egypt, ca. 200

CE. Tempera on

wood, approx. 1’ 2”

diameter. Staatliche

Museen, Berlin.

Damnatio

memoriae =

Latin. "damnation

of memory"

Portrait of Caracalla,

ca. 211–217 CE. Marble,

approx. 1’ 2” high.

Metropolitan Museum

of Art, New York.

68

Plan of the Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Italy, 212–216 CE. 1) natatio, 2) frigidarium, 3) tepidarium, 4)

caldarium, 5) palaestra.

Capacity 1600 bathers. The bathing, swimming, and exercise areas were surrounded by landscaped

gardens, lecture halls, and other rooms, all enclosed within a great concrete perimeter wall.

Plan of the central section of the Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Italy, 212–216 CE.

Caldarium – hot room

Tepidarium – warm

Frigidarium - cold

Baths of Caracalla

Virtual Reconstruction

Beside the bathhouse, the

complex was home to

shops, an athletic track,

sports fields, pleasure

gardens, massage rooms,

saunas, two reading rooms,

a hair salon, perfumeries,

cafeterias, music pavilions,

an underground temple to

Mithras, and a museum.

Baths of Caracalla

Reconstruction drawing of

the central hall (frigidarium)

Black and White Mosaic from the Baths of Caracalla.

The mosaics showed maritime figures, like fish, sea horses, and erotes ( winged gods of

love, a multiplication of the primal Eros.)

Mosaic: Patterns or pictures made by

embedding small pieces (tessrae) of

stone or glass in cement on surfaces

such as walls and floors. The Romans

used mosaics widely, particularly for

floors.

Mosaic from the Baths of Caracalla.

The colored mosaics were often abstract, and were made from all kinds of natural stone, like grey granite from Egypt, yellow marble from Numidia (Morocco), and green and purple porphyry from Sparta and Egypt.

Discussion Question

You have been asked to give a lecture on Roman civic building

projects and their purpose. Which examples should you discuss and

why?

The Sanctuary of Fortuna.

Primigenia, Palestrina, Italy,

2nd c. BCE.

The Baths of Caracalla, Rome,

Italy, 212–216 CE.

Colosseum

Rome, Italy, c

a. 70–80 CE.

160’ high

The Pantheon, Rome,

118–125 CE.

Temple of

Portunus,

Rome, Italy, ca.

75 BCE.

Stone

Forum of Trajan, Rome,

112 CE.

Battle of Romans and barbarians (Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus), from Rome, Italy, ca.

250–260 CE. Marble, approx. 5’ high. Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Altemps, Rome.

Ara Pacis Augustae ,

Procession of the

imperial family

Rome, Italy, 13–9 BCE.

Marble, approx. 5’ 3”

high.

Battle of Romans and barbarians (Ludovisi Battle

Sarcophagus), from Rome, Italy, ca. 250–260 CE. Marble,

approx. 5’ high. Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Altemps,

Rome.

Battle of Romans and barbarians

Detail. Roman general (perhaps

Ostilianus, Emperor Dicius' son) and

his horse

Mithraism

A religious cult that worshiped

Mithras, especially popular among

the Roman military and a strong

rival to Christianity during the late

Roman Empire.

Mithraic relief. Rome, 2nd-3rd

century CE. Marble. Louvre

Museum

Mithra Killing a sacred Bull.

A mithraeum found in the ruins of

Ostia Antica, Italy.

Comparison: Alexander

Sarcophagus

Late 4th c. BCE (Hellenistic)

Istanbul Archeological Museum.

Portraits of the four tetrarchs

from Constantinople, ca. 305

CE. Porphyry, approx. 4’ 3”

high. Saint Mark’s, Venice.

Augustus of Primaporta, Italy, copy of a

bronze original of ca. 20 BCE. Marble, 6’ 8”

high. Vatican Museums, Rome.

Portraits of the four tetrarchs from

Constantinople, ca. 305 CE. Porphyry,

approx. 4’ 3” high. Saint Mark’s, Venice.

Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy, 312–315 CE (south side).

Medallions. 2nd c. CE. Right- Hadrian hunting. Left- Hadrian sacrificing at an altar dedicated to the god Apollo. Bottom: Frieze. 4th c. CE. Constantine making an oration for the Rostrum in Rome.

Arch of Constantine. Detail

Distribution of largess, detail of the north frieze of the Arch of Constantine, Rome,

Italy, 312–315 CE. Marble, 3’ 4” high.

Arch of Constantine, frieze. 4th c. CE.

Ara Pacis Augustae ,

Procession of the

imperial family

Rome, Italy, 13–9 BCE.

Marble, approx. 5’ 3”

high.

Arch of Constantine,frieze. 4th c. CE.

Portrait of Constantine, from

the Basilica Nova, Rome, Italy, ca.

315–330 CE. Marble, approx. 8’

6” high. Palazzo dei Conservatori,

Rome.

313: Edict of Milan legalized Christianity (which becomes official state religion of the

Roman Empire in 380)

325: Council of Nicaea- The first general council of bishops resulted in the first uniform

Christian doctrine.

337: Baptism of Constantine

Portrait of Constantine, from

the Basilica Nova, Rome, Italy, ca.

315–330 CE. Marble, approx. 30’

high. Palazzo dei Conservatori,

Rome.

Europe and the Near East in Late Antiquity